I started reading the Hunger Games when I received my Kindle Fire for Christmas. About two pages in I thought I would have to stop reading: too upsetting. I’ve never been much of a fan of violence towards children. Ever. I can’t watch TV shows on the topic, can’t watch movies if that’s part of the story and I definitely can’t read books like that. However, I’d heard enough raving reviews about the Hunger Games to try to stick it out.

I’m so very glad I did.

The books are, admittedly, targeted at people younger than me. That doesn’t bother me so much: a good book is a good book, right? There is something about this book that somehow makes the reader accept the crazy, grotesque reality that faces the youth of Panam. Sending children into a huge arena to, quite literally, fight to the death is something that the people of Panam are forced to accept. I think that’s how it somehow made it seem OK to keep reading after I realized that was, in fact, the plot of the book.

I loved the first book and couldn’t wait to start the second. While I didn’t like it quite as much as the first (do we ever?) it was still a really good read. The third and final book was also great but a little more on the Science Fiction side than the others – although arguably they could all fit into that category.

The movie is now of course out and I was really happy to hear such positive reviews from other people who read the books. Seeing the movie this week…hope it lives up to the hype!